13 private hospitals in Mumbai shortlisted for Covid-19 vaccination: BMC

After getting applications from around 100 private hospitals to participate in the vaccination drive, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has shortlisted 13 private hospitals, which will be allowed to undertake vaccinations

After getting applications from around 100 private hospitals to participate in the vaccination drive, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has shortlisted 13 private hospitals, which will be allowed to undertake vaccinations. The names of the 13 hospitals are yet to be released.

A Covid-19 vaccine shot being administered to a frontline worker at Shatabdi Hospital. (Satish Bate/HT Photo)

On Friday, two more vaccination centres were added in Mumbai, at MW Desai Municipal Hospital in Malad and Shri Harilal Bhagwati Municpial Hospital in Borivli. The city now has 20 vaccination centres.

With the third phase of Covid-19 vaccinations expected to begin in March or April, BMC has maintained that it would need the help of private hospitals. In the third phase, members of the general public who are above 50 years old or have comorbidities will be inoculated. On Friday, it was announced that 13 private hospitals have been shortlisted to participate in the vaccination drive and details of these selected facilities will be announced soon.

Additional municipal commissioner Suresh Kakani said, “We have shortlisted 13 private hospitals for now in the city which will be allowed to undertake vaccination when the third phase for the general public starts. However, we are scrutinising applications of more private hospital, and this number will increase in the coming days.”

Kakani added, “Currently, for the first and second phases, we are managing with civic-run hospitals for vaccination, but in the third phase when the general public is vaccinated, we will require help from private hospitals.”

When asked how many citizens would be vaccinated per day once private hospitals are roped in, Kakani said the target would be decided once there was clarity on how much of the vaccine would be supplied to BMC in the third phase. Earlier, municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal had said around 1 lakh citizens daily would be vaccinated once private hospitals were involved in the vaccination drive. In its budget, presented on Wednesday, BMC said it planned to vaccinate a total of 1 crore Mumbaiites.

As of Friday, BMC has vaccinated 69,590 beneficiaries, including healthcare (HCWs) and frontline workers. On Friday, 5,883 HCWs and 753 frontline workers received their shots.

On the subject of the cost of the vaccines, Chahal said on Wednesday, “The Central government has kept in reserve ₹31,000 crore for Covid-19 vaccination, and I think this answers our question of from where we will get money for Covid-19 vaccines.”